Shapiro Administration Invests $15 Million to Provide Direct Support to Small Businesses Across Pennsylvania

Harrisburg, PA – Today, Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) Secretary Rick Siger announced the Shapiro Administration is investing $15 million to support small businesses across Pennsylvania through the Historically Disadvantaged Business Assistance (HDBA) Program. This funding will support the creation of ten micro-grant programs that will help small businesses with costs to start or expand their businesses.

“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and create vibrant, healthy communities. This initiative is about making sure Pennsylvania’s small businesses have the resources, partnerships, and support they need to grow and compete,” said Secretary Siger. “These micro-grants will deliver targeted resources to the businesses that need them most, working hand-in-hand with trusted community partners who understand their unique challenges and opportunities. The Shapiro Administration is committed to investing directly in the entrepreneurs who power our local economies.”

Funding through the HBDA Program was opened in December 2024, thanks to support in Governor Shapiro’s bipartisan 2024-25 state budget. Last November, the Shapiro Administration announced more than $21 million in funding to create 11 Business Assistance Service Centers across Pennsylvania to offer technical support services to small business in every region.

This latest round of funding will support ten micro-grant programs that will be administered through either a service center, regional economic development organization, or institution of higher education.

The full list of micro grant recipients is as follows:

• $8,450,000 to the Pennsylvania CDFI Network to provide support statewide to all 67 counties.
• $1,100,000 to the Chester County Economic Development Council to support Perry, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lebanon, Berks, Montgomery, Bucks, Chester, and Delaware counties.
• $1,100,000 to Seton Hill University to support Westmoreland, Allegheny, Cambria, Indiana, Somerset, Fayette, Washington, and Greene counties.
• $1,000,000 to the Greater Erie Economic Development Corporation to support Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Crawford, Elk, Erie, Forest, Jefferson, McKean, Mercer, Potter, Venango, and Warren counties.
• $1,000,000 to the Northeastern Pennsylvania Alliance to support Tioga, Bradford, Susquehanna, Lycoming, Sullivan, Wyoming, Lackawanna, Wayne, Pike, Montour, Columbia, and Luzerne counties.
• $700,000 to Lehigh University to support Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, Schuylkill, Carbon, and Monroe counties.
• $500,000 to Greenline Access Capital to support Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties.
• $500,000 to the Women’s Opportunities Resource Center to Philadelphia, Montgomery, Bucks, Delaware, and Chester counties.
• $400,000 to the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to support Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, and Washington counties.
• $250,000 to North Side Industrial Development Company to support Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Blair, Butler, Cambria, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Somerset, Washington, and Westmoreland counties.

“The Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce has always believed that when we invest in historically disadvantaged businesses, we invest in the entire region. This award allows our coalition — together with the African American Chamber of Commerce of Western Pennsylvania, the Asian American Chamber of Commerce of Western Pennsylvania, and Three Rivers Business Alliance — to put capital directly into the hands of entrepreneurs who will reinvest in their employees, their neighborhoods, and our broader Southwest Pennsylvania community,” said Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce CEO Melanie Marie Boyer. “Every dollar that reaches a small business owner has the power to grow into something greater, and we are proud to help make that impact possible.”

“On behalf of Women’s Opportunities Resource Center’s Board of Directors and the businesses we serve, WORC so appreciates Governor Josh Shapiro, the Legislature and PA DCED recognized the need to provide grants to under-resourced small businesses,” said Women’s Opportunities Resource Center Executive Board Chair & Founder Lynne Cutler. “This generous grant will allow us to expand our successful Owner Occupied Commercial Real-Estate program to the Southeast Pa Collar counties by offering grants toward the closing costs and we will also pair grants ranging from $2500 to $10,000 with our microloans so businesses have the opportunity, based on capacity and need, to obtain the capital they need to start, stabilize or grow their business.

“We are excited to continue our work with the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development in support of historically disadvantaged small businesses,” said PA CDFI Network CEO Varsovia Fernandez. “HDBA funding comes timely, particularly for rural areas where small businesses are facing challenges accessing capital. A small grant can help them borrow a lesser amount they may qualify for, to acquire equipment or inventory necessary to increase sales.”

The Shapiro Administration’s commitment to creating opportunity for small businesses is delivering results: the Commonwealth is now directing more contracting dollars to small and small diverse businesses than ever before — including a 45 percent increase in spending with Black-owned and Latino-owned businesses over the past two years. For the first time, the Commonwealth has surpassed $1 billion in contracts with small businesses, small diverse businesses, and veteran-owned business enterprises two years in a row.

Since taking office, Governor Shapiro has made Pennsylvania more competitive — cutting red tape, streamlining permitting and licensing, and attracting over $40.4 billion in private-sector investment that has created more than 22,424 good-paying jobs across the Commonwealth.

Pennsylvania is the only state in the Northeast with a growing economy, according to a report from Axios based on analysis done by Moody’s Analytics Chief Economist Mark Zandi. This latest recognition builds on growing evidence that Pennsylvania’s economy is strong, competitive, and on the rise.